聞こえる vs 聞ける – The Meaning of Kikoeru
When you translate 聞こえる from Japanese to English it means you hear or can hear something. 聞ける is a similar word that also means can hear or can listen. Even if in English these two words are translated similarly, they are used differently.
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聞ける – Able to Hear or Listen
聞ける means being able to hear or listen. It is the potential form of the verb 聞く which is to see or listen.
音楽が聴ける1
I can listen to music
Just a quick side note on
聞こえる – Be Audible or to Hear something
聞こえる translates as, to be audible. The difference here is that 聞こえる means you just heard something. Not that you were trying to listen.
https://japaneseuniverse.com/2024/02/18/pac-man-in-japaneseconcepts-behind-development-to-global-icon/
鳥の声が聞こえる
I can hear birds (literally, bird’s voices)
聞こえる – to Sound like
聞こえる also means that something sounds like, or gives an impression of something else.
冗談に聞こえる
It sounds like a joke
So that is the difference between 聞こえる and 聞ける. If you want to learn more Japanese I reviewed a dictionary of grammar series which I personally recommend and use myself.
I also have several other posts on various topics on Japanese Universe if you are interested.
Resources
Notes
- The Kanji 聴 in 聴ける is used when talking about listening to music instead of 聞
